Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution referred Lina Atallah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, to trial on Thursday, 22 October 2026, on a charge of establishing, managing and operating the website without a licence from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation. Her trial begins on Tuesday, 27 October, at the New Cairo Court in the Fifth Settlement.
The case is registered as No. 11743 of 2026, Fifth Settlement Misdemeanours, and No. 9072 of 2026, Supreme State Security. The charge concerns an alleged violation of Law No. 180 of 2018 regulating the press, media and the Supreme Council for Media Regulation.
As reported by Mada Masr, its lawyer Hassan al-Azhari said the trial referral concerns the licensing charge only. The false-news allegation raised during Wednesday’s questioning was not included in the referral. He criticised the rapid referral and hearing date, less than a week away, saying there was no justification for rushing the case.
On Wednesday, the prosecution ordered Atallah’s release on EGP 100,000 bail after more than six hours of questioning. The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression said the investigation involved allegations of publishing false news and statements inside and outside Egypt, and operating an unlicensed website, over a report on prison protests following the postponement of the Criminal Procedure Law.
Mada Masr’s latest licence application has been pending since June 2023, according to its lawyer.
Al-Azhari said the outlet submitted the application after supplying documents and information the regulator said were missing, during its appeal against the licence refusal. He said no response had arrived.
Article 6 of the law requires a licence from the Supreme Council to establish or manage a website. Article 105 provides for a fine of EGP 1 million to EGP 3 million for violating that provision, alongside closure and confiscation of the equipment used. The fine is doubled for repeat offences.
Before the referral, Amnesty International urged the authorities to end judicial harassment of Atallah and the outlet’s staff. It described this as the sixth case against Mada Masr and its journalists in six years, noting that the outlet had sought a licence since 2018.
Amnesty recalled Atallah’s summons on 4 August 2025 over a report published on 31 July that year about detention conditions at Badr 3 prison, after which she was released on bail. According to the organisation’s statement on Wednesday, investigations remained open in five cases against her and the outlet’s staff.
